What Are Absorbable Surgical Sutures?

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According to About.com, absorbable surgical sutures are sutures placed inside the body to hold together incisions. They dissolve on their own, bypassing the need for removal. Absorbable sutures are often used on deeper incisions and can take from 10 days to six months to dissolve.

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About.com states that absorbable sutures can be felt under the skin, but rubbing the incision is not recommended if a person feels the sutures. Doing so hinders healing and can encourage infection; what a person feels is often scar tissue and not the suture. Absorbable sutures must never be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide; the chemicals reduce the strength of the suture and can cause irritation.